1. Field of the Invention
My invention relates to a lighting system for an open vehicle in which the operator is exposed to the vehicle surroundings, such as a motorcycle or snowmobile, having a main headlight rigidly secured to the vehicle. My invention relates more particularly to such a lighting system employing an auxiliary headlight which is detachably mounted on a helmet worn by the vehicle operator and is capable of projecting a beam of light in plurality of directions independent of the beam of light projected by the main headlight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional lighting system for an open vehicle carrying an exposed operator, such as a motorcycle or snowmobile, that has found practical commercial application utilizes a single main headlight which is rigidly fixed to the front wheel fork of of the vehicle or to the vehicle frame itself so as to project a beam of light forward in the path of travel of the vehicle. This projected beam of light is not generally adjustable for direction of projection during vehicle operation, except perhaps for projection on either low or high beam, since the direction is governed by the directing influence of the vehicle portion to which the headlight is rigidly attached. As a consequence, it frequently occurs that the true immediate path of travel of the vehicle is not properly illuminated thus constituting a hazard to the safety of operation of the vehicle and to the exposed operator whose nighttime visibility of the path ahead is necessarily limited.
For example, in the operation of a motorcycle the main headlight projects a beam directly forward of the motorcycle and is quite satisfactory when the motorcycle travels a straight path. However, in travelling a curved path, such as around a bend in a road, the motorcycle "leans" through the curve rather than proceeding through the curve solely by turning its front wheel. As a consequence, the main headlight of the motorcycle projects a beam which does not illuminate the immediate path of travel ahead of the motorcycle but rather is directed straight ahead or off to the side. Thus, the road directly ahead of the motorcycle in the curve is not illuminated by the main headlight although such is the path of travel which the motorcyclist must view as to hazards in the road, oncoming cars and the like. Moreover, the main headlight, being essentially rigidly secured to the motorcycle, is subjected to all the impacts and vibrations to which the motorcycle itself is subjected so that frequently, such as on rough road surfaces, the projected beam is not steady but rather vibrates along with the motorcycle.
A motorcycle lighting system also includes secondary lights, such as tail and brake lights as well as parking-type lights mounted outboard of the main headlight. Heretofore, it has been proposed to augment the motorcycle lights through the use of lighting devices adapted for use with helmets which are worn by the motorcycle operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,517 discloses a lighting device for a safety helmet for an operator of a motorcycle and describes and critizes various alleged prior art attempts at such devices. That patent proposes a lighting device disposed within a housing, carried on the top portion of the helmet, which is triangular in shape to form a streamline contour and has a lens disposed at the rear end of the housing to direct light rearwardly of the helmet body. The housing is permanently affixed to the helmet or formed as an integral portion thereof and includes its own power source, such as batteries. Radially extending lenses on the housing may direct light from the sides and front portion by virtue of the translucent nature of the lens. The rearward projection of light is through a red lens and the radially extending lenses are yellow. It is apparent that the proposal in U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,517 does not serve to overcome the problems associated with a main headlight lighting system as described above since no beam of headlight intensity is projected forward to illuminate the road ahead. Moreover, the use of a self-contained power source such as the conventional dry cell batteries disclosed is generally inadequate to provide the power required for a high intensity headlight beam and moreover requires that a separate switch be provided on the lighting device or the helmet itself so that coordination with the lighting system of the motorcycle is not readily obtainable. Nevertheless, the patentee states that lighting devices which have used energizing means for the light source that are mounted exteriorly of the helmet and require wires to transmit power from remote energizing means to the light source are undesirable.
A helmet or hat mounted illuminating means has been previously proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 2,705,751 shows a cap in which a circular bracket carrying a plurality of electric light bulbs is mounted on a conventional military type hat such as may be worn by a uniformed orchestral band member to provide a decorative appearance. The bulbs may be switched on by the wearer from a switching means located remote from the cap on the belt of the wearer. The energizing means is also located on the belt of the wearer and the electrical connection between the two includes electrical connecting means provided with a prong and socket connector for separation. U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,902 shows several light means forming a permanent part of a safety hard hat with a separable connection to a power source carried on the belt of the wearer. A flasher switching means is provided within the helmet mounting for the lamp.
Thus, while it can be seen that various types of lighting devices and illuminating means have been provided for use with head gear and helmets, none of them are directed to overcoming the disadvantages present in the conventional lighting system found on a vehicle such as a motorcycle which prevents adequate illumination of the road directly ahead of the motorcycle during various times of use. Moreover, nothing has heretofore been proposed which provides an effective motorcyle helmet mounted headlight which is readily detachable therefrom and is connected to the power source and electrical circuit of the main headlight of a conventional motorcycle lighting system to operate in conjunction therewith. Accordingly, the disadvantages and drawbacks associated with conventional open vehicle lighting systems currently remain in commercial applications.